School-based programmes to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug use

Abstract

Substance use and abuse are important public health problems in the USA and throughout the world. In many developed countries, the initial stages of substance use typically include experimentation with alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana with one's peer group during adolescence. While there have been gradual decreases in the use of these substances in recent years among youth in the USA and other countries, increases have been observed in the use and misuse of other substances, such as the misuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medications in the USA. From a developmental perspective, data shows that rates of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit drug use typically escalate during adolescence and peak during young adulthood, corresponding with the increased freedom and independence of this time of life. Substance use decreases for most young people as they take on adult responsibilities, although a proportion will continue or increase their use and develop substance use problems. Given what we know about the onset and progression of substance use, implementing preventive interventions during early adolescence is critical. Most drug prevention or education programmes take place in school settings. A variety of theory-based school-based drug prevention programmes have been developed and tested. The most effective programmes are delivered interactively and teach skills to help young people refuse drug offers, resist pro-drug influences, correct misperceptions that drug use is normative, and enhance social and personal competence skills. A key challenge is to identify mechanisms for the wide dissemination of evidence-based drug preventive interventions and ways to train providers to implement programmes effectively and thoroughly.

Prevalence and predictors of over-the-counter medication use among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

“…It has been suggested that women may be more likely to use painkillers due to menstrual pain (29,30). It is also possible that women generalize their knowledge of the efficacy of OTC (31). Our findings also show that adolescents with any medical diagnoses are more likely to use OTC.…”

Drinking and Parenting Practices as Predictors of Impaired Driving Behaviors Among U.S. Adolescents

“…Logically, alcohol use increases the likelihood of DWI and RWI, particularly in the absence of alternative transportation and strong cultural norms that discourage driving after use. The link between drinking/heavy episodic drinking and DWI and RWI may also refl ect peer group norms that would lead to exposure to other teenage drinkers (Botvin and Griffi n, 2007), and consequently, being a passenger of an impaired driver. Despite signifi cant effects of both heavy episodic drinking and recent alcohol drinking on DWI/RWI, alcohol drinking was more strongly associated, refl ecting that even moderate amounts of drinking can impair teenagers' judgment about driving and that drinking increases exposure to opportunities for DWI/RWI.…”

Substance Abuse Prevention: Perspectives from India’s Addiction Treatment Professionals

“…Unlike previous studies" foci on substance abuse prevention programs in developed countries and on specific age groups such as adolescents (Botvin & Griffin, 2007;Reid, et al, 2014;VignaTaglianti, et al, 2014), this study is first of its kind focusing on substance abuse prevention programs in a developing country. This study emphasized the importance of creating public awareness campaigns against substance abuse for the entire population of India, a developing country, and in important social sectors such as schools, employment settings, religious/spiritual settings, local communities, state and national levels.…”

“…Though there have been many prevention studies published to date, most of them focused on adolescents as the target population (Botvin & Griffin, 2007;Reid, et al, 2014;Vigna-Taglianti, et al, 2014), and all of them on developed countries. To our knowledge, there has been no published research study to date focusing on substance abuse prevention focusing on a developing country.…”